I have had a caravan (Windosr Rapid), a Camprite and now a "crossover" AORC Quantum. While all have been good at what they are, the Quantum does it all and so well. Its only problem is its price, otherwise I am sure there would be plenty more around.
When we had our Windsor Rapid, our kids were young (2 & 4) and it was great to be able to take them camping with ease and comfort - we found tents fine for the two of us, but not so for the kids. Yes I know many people do, but it simply didn't work that well for us. But after a while with the Windsor Rapid, we found ourselves staying inside too much as it was simply too easy. Yes, we could have easily spend more time outside, but with a lounge seat already made up, well at time it was easier to sit in that than get the campchairs out of the bag. Yes, lazy I know but thats the reality of what happened. And then factor in cooking and washing up inside and soon we realised we spent way too much time inside.
So, onto a Camprite and what a great family camper that is. It will go anywhere the tug can drag it and its arguably the best family camper on the market. But like most things there are compromises and the intial packup at home meant crawling under the bed to pack stuff away (otherwise you had to open it all up). And while the tailgate kitchen is great, there is no cover if you cannot find a tree for a lunchtime stop. Add in rain and you have to setup the annexe for an overnight stop. Doable but a real pain.
So, after Topender talked incessantly about his crossover camper, the Quantum, I had to see what it was like. Well blow me down if this didn't have the advantages of both the Camprite and the Windsor! It has the outside cooking, but a rollout awning if no shade or wet. It's very compact inside, the only time we go inside is to get changed or to sleep - but there is a cosy table for 4 if required (is used by us as a kids bed - we also have a bunk bed above the main QS bed). Its only ~1m longer than my Camprite with a rear bike rack and actually 20mm narrower than my 200 series cruiser. It has the creature comforts like a/c and diesel heater for those times the weather closes in, and it has a secondary awning that doubles the rollout awning and can be fully enclosed if required.
But the creme da la creme (for my wife) is the flushing toilet that can be accessed whenever stopped, no need to pop the roof or try and find a clean roadhouse. While my wife has always tagged along with my passion for camping, this one simple addition has really made a huge difference to how much she now enjoys coming along. Factor in the HWS and shower and I hardly ever get a camping knockback now. And that to me is the biggest reason alone, we simply do more camping now - not everyones reason but its what works for me.
For me, if something gets you out camping more, then it must be good. And that is exactly what the Quantum has done. It is so easy to pack (most things are left in anyway) that we end up using it far more than either the Camprite or the Windosr. Yes, I have gone a bit soft, but by the same token I have spent 51 nights out of the last 12 months away in the Quantum and there was only 1 x 2 week trip, the rest were overnighters or long weekends.
Cheers
Captain
